


What Makes a Coconut Shy?

by kathkin



Series: OTPprompts [6]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, vertigo cw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 16:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5672413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathkin/pseuds/kathkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Her eyes were so big and bright, and he almost never saw her this happy – he couldn’t say no, not when Victoria made that face.</i> Jamie, Victoria, a Ferris Wheel and an embarrassing fear of heights.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Makes a Coconut Shy?

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this OTP Prompt](http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/101577469796/your-otpot3-is-on-a-ferris-wheel-and-person-a-is).

“Do you suppose there’s a coconut shy?” said Victoria. “That was always my favourite.”

Jamie wasn’t at all sure what a coconut shy was, or, for that matter, what a coconut was or why they were shy – but he said, “I’ll keep an eye out, shall I?”

“Oh, please!” They were close to Victoria’s own time. She was surrounded by familiar things and ever so pleased to find herself in America, and she’d been brimming with excitement all morning. She was in a good mood, and so Jamie was in a good mood, of sorts.

But this part of the future was ever so loud and bright, nothing like the fairs you’d find in Jamie’s time. The noise and the crowds were enough to set him on edge; his kilt was getting funny looks; the Doctor had wandered off and probably managed to find some trouble. The sky was clear, but he could sense clouds brimming on the horizon. It could only be a matter of time –

Just as they rounded a stall selling toffee apples, Victoria squealed an ear-piercing squeal.

Jamie bristled from head to toe, hackles rising, reaching for Victoria with one hand and his knife with the other – but thank the Lord, she wasn’t scared but excited. It was so hard to tell sometimes. Pressing a hand to his chest to quiet his racing heart, he followed her gaze.

She was staring, hands clapped over her mouth, at a towering metal structure. It was shaped like a giant wheel with wooden baskets fixed between the rims. People, he noticed queasily, people were actually riding in the baskets, round and round. It was as tall as two houses stacked atop each other and he’d seen taller things – he’d seen towers so tall they scraped the sky – but it was enough to make his insides wobbly. He wondered if the people riding in it were quite right in the head. He wondered what the point of it was.

Victoria tugged and tugged on his arm. “Oh, isn’t it marvellous!” she said. “I’ve never seen the like! Shall we have a go?”

Jamie looked at her, and looked at the big wheel. “I, erm.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’ll cost money.”

“Oh, I’ve barely spent any of the dollars the Doctor gave me,” she said carelessly. “Oh, do let’s try it, Jamie. It looks like fun!”

Her eyes were so big and bright, and he almost never saw her this happy – and he couldn’t say no, not without making up some absurd excuse to cover for himself – he _couldn’t_ say no, not when Victoria made that face. He’d just have to be strong, he decided. It was just a fairground ride. Children were riding on it.

And so off they went. They stood in the line and paid the man with the big moustache at the base of the wheel and were shown to their own basket. Jamie was shifting about on the wooden seat, trying to make himself comfortable, when with a _clunk_ the ground dropped from beneath them and the bottom dropped out of his stomach.

Gripping the rail tight, he told himself it would be over quick. It would be over quick and so long as he didn’t look down he’d be alright. Probably.

Victoria rugged at his sleeve. “Jamie, look! You can see the sea!”

“Oh, aye.” Jamie braved turning his head. So you could. It was a nice enough view, he supposed. You could see the whole fairground – and the town – all spread out beneath you like a rug.

He shuddered and look at Victoria instead, looked at her glancing here and there at the fairground and the seashore. The breeze was tugging gently at her hair and as they rose up higher they rose into the sun, lighting her up golden, like a lantern. His breath caught in his throat.

This wasn’t so bad, he said to himself. He could do this. Here he was, doing this. So long as he didn’t think about the ground, dropping steadily further and further away, it was almost fun. And look, they were almost at the top of the wheel. Soon they’d start to go down again and that wouldn’t be nearly so bad.

With a sound of grinding metal, the wheel stopped turning.

Their basket swung back and forth as it drew to a halt. “What?” Jamie blurted out. “Why’re we stoppin’? Is this supposed to happen?” He twisted in his seat, looking at the people ahead and behind. They were as lost as he was. A ripple of confused chatter was spreading around the wheel. This wasn’t meant to be happening. His heart leapt up and down in his chest.

“It’s probably a mechanical fault,” said Victoria, far too chipper about their dreadful plight. “Oh, look! There’s the gentleman.” 

The man with the big moustache was waving his hat up at them. As Jamie watched, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted something that the wind whipped away.

Victoria leaned forward, half out of the basket. It pitched forward. Jamie clutched the rail and suppressed the urge to drag her back to safety. “I can’t hear what he’s saying, but it looks like he’s going to fix it,” she said. “Oh, dear! What a mess.”

“Aye.” Good God, she was still leaning out of the basket. His mind raced, picturing all the ways she could slip and go tumbling out into empty space.

“There, he’s getting out his toolkit.” She leaned a touch further outwards. The basket pitched a touch further forwards.

Jamie reached out for her, pressed her back into her seat. The basket rocked back. “Careful!”

“I was only trying to get a better look,” she said, and with a sigh, “oh, well. At least it’s a nice day.” She looked at the clear sky. “I’m sure we shan’t be up here for long.”

“Oh, aye,” Jamie nodded, “it willnae be long. Nothin’ to worry about. Everything’s alright. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Victoria hugged herself. “A little cold.”

“Oh, here.” Jamie pulled off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders.

“Oh, but you’re such a gentleman,” said Victoria, smiling at him so sunnily that for a moment Jamie forgot where he was.

Then he remembered. His hands clenched tight around the rail, his knuckles turning yellow. In his breast his heart was beating away like a war-drum. “Aye, it’s alright,” he said. “Nothing to be scared of.”

“I’m not scared,” said Victoria.

“Aye, of course not,” Jamie gabbled. “But if you were, ye ken. D’you want to hold my hand?” She was looking at him curiously. “In case you get scared, ye ken.”

“Are you alright?”

“Course I am.” Jamie reached for her hand. It was small and warm and he squeezed it tight.

For a few moments they sat quietly. The other riders of the wheel grumbled away. Somewhere a sea bird called. “You’re not scared of heights, are you?” He couldn’t say if her tone was sympathetic or reproachful or just plain confused, but whatever it was he didn’t like it.

“What?” he said. “No! Of course not.” He swallowed, his throat close. “I mean, I dinnae _like_ them much. But I’m no’ _scared_.”

“If you’re scared of heights, then why on earth did you come up here?”

Evidently she wasn’t listening properly, for he’d just _said_ he wasn’t scared, hadn’t he? But he wasn’t about to say as much. Instead he shrugged. “You wanted tae.”

“That didn’t mean _you_ had to.” And now she was using her mothering voice, the one that made him feel about a foot tall.

“Aye, well I couldnae leave you all alone, could I?” He made himself look at her. “And I’m no’ scared. Why’d you keep sayin’ I’m scared?”

“Well, you _are_ squeezing my hand rather tightly,” said Victoria.

“Sorry.” Jamie relaxed his grip. “That better?”

“I didn’t say I minded,” she said. “Are you sure you’re alright? You look a little pale.”

“Och, I’m _fine_ ,” said Jamie. In truth, he felt a bit sick, but he wasn’t about to let on. He’d be alright when they were back on the ground.

To his desperate, _desperate_ relief, the wheel went _thunk_ and _clunk_ and began to turn again. Their basket rocked and bobbed and began to pick up speed. There was just enough time to exhale in relief before, with an even nastier grinding sound, the wheel slowed to an agonising halt.

This time, they stopped with enough of a jolt to set their basket properly swinging. The basket tipped forward and the ground loomed up at him, gut-churningly far away and wobbling like a heat shimmer. Jamie squeezed his eyes shut and gripped Victoria’s hand tighter than ever, fear of death flooding his whole body, certain that at any moment they’d slip from the basket and plunge to earth.

“Oh, Jamie,” Victoria was saying. “Do calm down.”

He took deep breaths. He didn’t open his eyes. “I’m fine.” Curiously, thinking of just how shameful it would be to throw up from pure fear in front of Victoria wasn’t helping. His insides were full of worms. If their basket didn’t stop its infernal swinging –

“Oh, do calm down.” Victoria rubbed his back. “Please?”

It took some careful breathing, but Jamie managed to calm himself enough to speak. “I’m alright.”

“You can _say_ that you’re scared, you know,” she said. “I won’t laugh.”

“I’m no’ –” Jamie stopped, and swallowed. “Och, I should’ve stayed on the ground.”

“Probably.” Victoria squeezed his hand. “Would you like to put your arm around me?”

Jamie breathed. “Yes.”

He looped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her along the wooden seat towards him. Victoria cuddled up beside him with a sigh. “Dinnae worry,” he said. “I’ll look after you.”

She said, “I know you will.”

*

The feel of solid earth beneath his feet had never been so welcome. He took wobbly steps away from the wheel, resolved to never so much as look at the damn thing again. God, but it was nice to be able to breathe again.

“Better?” said Victoria at his elbow.

“Much,” he said, his heart slowing.

“Ooh!” She grabbed his arm. “ _There’s_ the coconut shy!”

And there, too, was the Doctor, weighing up a pair of wooden balls in his hands. “Oh, here you are.” He shot them a cross look, as if they were the ones who’d gotten lost. “Don’t wander off like that. Have you been having a nice time?”

Jamie and Victoria exchanged a look. He shrugged. She said, “oh, yes. We went on the big wheel.”

“Oh, splendid,” said the Doctor. “Now, which do you think?” He held up the balls.

“They look the same to me,” said Victoria.

“The red one,” said Jamie, for they’d be there all day otherwise.

The Doctor set down the green ball, lined up the shot, and lobbed the red ball at a coconut. It clattered off the back of the stall. He stood, hands on his hips, frowning as if personally affronted.

“Oh, it was a good throw!” said Victoria.

Pinching his eyebrows together, the Doctor tried again. His green ball bounced off the pole and rolled away into the shadows. As he glowered, Jamie said, “that was close, aye?”

“Let’s try again, shall we?” The Doctor patted himself down till he found a somewhat dubious coin that nonetheless bought him three more balls.

After the first two went the same way, Jamie saw fit to step in. “Ach, let me have a go.” He shouldered the Doctor aside and took up the last ball. It was just a matter of throwing straight, after all. He lined up the shot carefully, and –

_Thunk_. Down went the coconut. “Yes!” Jamie threw up his arms in jubilation.

“Oh, good show!” exclaimed Victoria.

“Yes, very well done, Jamie,” said the Doctor, groping through his pockets. “Now, if I can just –”

Jamie shut him up by making a great show of accepting his coconut and presenting it to a deeply touched Victoria. By the time they let the Doctor get a word in edgeways, they were all of them three stalls down.

“It’s really just a matter of geometry,” the Doctor rambled. “I’d have got there eventually.”

“Aye. I’m sure you would’ve,” said Jamie. “Just a dozen or so tries.” Victoria giggled, cradling her coconut like a baby.

“Precisely!” The Doctor sniffed the air. “Oh, it’s a shame we’re too early for candy floss,” he sighed. “Who’s for toffee apples?”

“Ooh, I am!” said Victoria. “And Jamie is, too.” She tugged on the Doctor’s arm. “Back this way.”

“Oh, yes.” The Doctor spun about face and strode into the crowd. “Do come along!”

“We’re comin’,” said Jamie. Reaching down, his hand found Victoria’s and gave it a squeeze. She squeezed back, and they shared a smile.


End file.
